- Are you working as a stylist or colourist in a hair salon?
- Do you run your own mobile business that provides hair styling and/or colouring to clients in the comfort of their own home?
- Do you know about all of the work related tax reliefs that you are entitled to?
As a hairdresser you probably have some work costs that you pay yourself. The Tax Office allows you to reclaim tax relief on these items.
If you are employed under PAYE HMRC are not able to simply refund this money automatically, you need to help them repay you by submitting an official claim.
Our guide is is for both employed (under PAYE) and self employed Hairdressers.
What can hairdressers claim a tax rebate for?
- Equipment
If you have to buy any equipment for work yourself, then you are entitled to reclaim the tax. This could be a scissor set, hairdryer or clippers, all requiring a hefty £100 minimum spend to get decent quality. Or it could be smaller items like protective gloves, cling film and hairclips; but those little, frequent amounts add up.
- Buying and washing uniform or protective clothing.
To the Tax Office, a uniform means a branded item of clothing that you only wear to work. That means something with the company name or logo permanently on it – Velcro or pinned badges don’t count. A dress code requiring you to, for example, wear all black, is not classed as a uniform.
This is because these clothes could be worn outside the workplace. Tunics or aprons that you are required to wear are included as protective clothing. This tax relief is for buying uniform or protective clothing and for covering the cost of washing these items at home.
- Travelling between work locations in your own car
You can claim back the tax on work journeys that you make in your own private vehicle. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean the daily home to workplace commute. But it could include being required to work at different salons in the same chain or travelling to clients’ homes.
There are is an array of different rebates available to taxpayers. Others that may be relevant to your profession are working from home, internet and phone usage and ‘subsistence’ (lunch!) when you are at a temporary work location – it all depends on your personal work situation.
What do I need to make a tax rebate claim?
Some claims do not require any accompanying evidence, like laundry expenses. Other claims do need receipts, like equipment, or other evidence, like a journey log of your work travel. The best advice is, if you’re not sure, keep the receipt!
A claim can be made for the last 4 tax years if you are employed under PAYE and you get a little bit of interest on previous years! After your claim is settled you continue to make tax savings because your tax code will be altered accordingly.
If you are self employed your expenses need to be included on your self assessment tax return.
You combine your expert knowledge, empathy and creative flair to boost your clients’ self-image with individually tailored hair styling. Our skills don’t include a self-esteem boosting element; but we can help boost the amount of cash in your wallet by getting you the tax rebate you deserve!
